Pipe and tube supports are known for their use in supporting piping systems in residential and commercial buildings as well as throughout numerous industrial manufacturing facilities, for example, food, dairy, beverage, chemical, personal care, bioprocessing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. Many pipe hanging configurations have either an inner layer or an inner block made from some elastomeric material to provide some combination of dampening, shock absorption, and insulation. With respect to industrial facilities, especially those in which clean rooms, sanitary and sterile environments are critical to the manufacturing process, the known pipe supports are configured to have a smooth contact surface on the insert to prevent bacterial build up and other contaminants from collecting.
Block style hangers may use plastic or silicone grommets which define an inner diameter (I.D.) to directly support and encompass the outer diameter (O.D.) of a pipe or tube. The silicone or plastic grommets are themselves supported by a metal frame which is often welded to supporting structural steel or secured by threaded connections to a hanger. These block style hangers may be used individually or due to their substantially square or rectangular shape may alternatively be easily and efficiently stacked in a vertical relationship to provide an offset between multiple pipes arranged and mounted in parallel.
The grommets act as a dampening cushion or insulator between the hardware and the supported utility. The grommet parts define the molded I.D. which fits around the O.D. of the pipe, tube or conduit. The size of the I.D. in the grommet controls the amount of force required to allow the tube, pipe or conduit to slide through the grommets. A smaller I.D. creates a tight fit or an anchor and a larger I.D. creates a loose fit or a guide which allows the tube, pipe or conduit to slide along an axis. The known grommets and inserts for such hangers are held together and in place around the pipe or conduit solely by the use of mounting hardware and framework or brackets that attach the grommets to one another around the pipe or conduit. This creates a problem for the installer since the grommets must be both held in position by the installer, usually by hand, relative to the pipe or tube, and also in respect to one another while the hardware and framework are installed. Also, because the grommets are not secured together, the sliding of the pipe or tube can cause shifting of the grommet parts relative to one another and with respect to the mounting hardware and framework.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,250 to Schon discloses an improved clamp for tubular members that uses interchangeable elastomeric inserts. Schon '250 provides a way for the inserts to attach to a clamping block, but does not provide a way for the inserts to attach to the tube. Furthermore, the clamping block can only be attached by using external fastening devices.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0205722 A1 to Krueger discloses a pipe and tube support that claims a swivel style mounting point along a vertical axis with an opening having a single bolt capture and opposing hinge placed at a 90° angle off of the vertical axis. The Krueger '722 support also has upper and lower dome-shaped housing sections with internal liners for holding the pipe. The internal liners are attached to the hardware used for hanging the pipe and do not provide an efficient way to secure the liners together and to attach the liners to the pipe.